A Summer Wish
Live all thy sweet life thro’,Sweet Rose, dew-sprent,Drop down thine evening dewTo gather it anewWhen day is bright:I fancy thou wast meantChiefly to give delight.
Sing in the silent sky, Glad soaring bird; Sing out thy notes on high 10 To sunbeam straying by Or passing cloud; Heedless if thou art heard Sing thy full song aloud.
Oh that it were with me As with the flower; Blooming on its own tree For butterfly and bee Its summer morns: That I might bloom mine hour 20 A rose in spite of thorns.
Oh that my work were doneAs birds’ that soarRejoicing in the sun:That when my time is runAnd daylight too,I so might rest once moreCool with refreshing dew.